Container for gas impregnated with radioactive emanations



Aug. 24 1926.. 1,597,504

. J. c. BARR CONTAINER FOR GAS IMPREIENATED WITH RADIO ACTIVE EMANATIONSFiled July 24, 1923 53 B 62 62 A 62 v 4 V i v i l v l I y l I a i I i Ai l i g 5 5 i l I I a I I g B 'A ll A l I I l i SIl i /v1 /v7v/s JAMES[Haws/7 4M 5AM? by/n's A'fiO/WEJS Patented Aug. 24, 1926.

UNITE ST S PATENT OFFICE.

Jame CBUIKSHANK es a enaseow, SCOTLAND, Asslenon r0 THE n t-Iris BRITISHCOMPANY.

oon'ranvna r03 ens nvrrnaeuarnn WITH aanroecrrvn nnana'r ons.

Application filed July 24, 1e23, Serial No. 653,614, and in GreatBritain July 24, 1922.

This invention has for its object to utilize capsules, cylinders, orcontainers, such as are employed for containing compressed, orliquefied, gas in such manner that they can be employed for securing,and conserving, compressed, or liquefied, gas impregnated to apredetermined radio active value with emanations from radioractivesubstances and so that, when the said containers are opened to liberatethe gas, the said gas will escape impregnated with thesaidemanationsinto the water, to be charged therewith, or for utilization in otherrequired way. In the term gas in this specification and in the claims, Iwish it to be understood that I include any suitable gas, or gaseousmixture.

According to this "invention the said containers are provided with meanswhereby the radio-active substance can be retained in position thereinin such manner that emanations therefrom will impregnate the compressed,or liquefied, gas and, when the container is opened (by perforation, orby opening a valve, for example) the gas im pregnated with suchemanations, will escape, for instance, into water, required forcurative, or other purpose, whilst the radioactive substance will beretained in the container to impregnate with its emanations futurecharges of compressed, or liquefied, gas.

' The radio-active substance employed may be of any suitabledescription, such, for example, as radium sulphate precipitated fromradium bromide, or radium chloride.

The means by which the radio-active sub= stance is retained in thecontainer can be of any suitable kind; for example, the said substancecan be inserted as a solid and be attached to the inside of thecontainer by varnish, or applied as a paint, or it can be absorbed bysome absorbent, such, for example, as filter-paper, asbestos, orfire-clay, which can be held by a clip, or holder, inside the container,or be attached to the valve of the container, (if a valved container beemployed), or to a specially provided piece screwed into .a hole in theside of the container, or in other equivalent way such that it will notbe displaced when the container is opened, or be forced out by theescaping gas, or it may be employed in the condition of .a solutionwhich will pass along with the gas from the container into, forinstance, liquid to be activated. 7

The accompanying drawing represents ways in which this invention may'beperformed, but it is to be understood that these are only examples, andthat the invention is not limited to these examples.

Itigure 1 is a sectional elevation, drawn to an enlarged scale, of asmall container, or steel capsule having a neck at; one end throughwhich the capsule may be charged and discharged, such as those commonlyknown as sparklets, shewing the applica tion of this invention thereto,Figure 2 shows, separatel in perspective, thesupport for the materialwhich carries the radio-active substance;-

Figure 3 is an elevation, partly in section, shewing how this inventioncan be applied to a large container, or cylinder.

Referring first to the example shewn in Figures 1 and 2, before thecapsule A is charged with compressed, or liquefied, gas and closed, asshewn, a strip of metal, or other suitable material, B, is insertedtherein, the said strip carrying, at G, material which isimpregnatedwith the radio-active substance. The said material may belayers of filter-paper, or other suitable absorbent material, treated,for example, with a solution of a suitable salt of radium, this, whendried, being treated so as to precipitate the salt as the insolubleradium sulphate.

The said absorbent material thus carrying the radio-active substance isconnected to the strip B, in any suitable way, for instance, byconfining the said material to the strip B, by wing-pieces Z) projectingfrom the strip and turned over, the material B, to hold it in position.The device thus arranged will remain in the capsule which can be chargedwith compressed, or liquefied, gas without removing the device, whichcan however be readily removed when desired for testing, or otherpurpose.

In the application of the invention to a cylinder as shewn in theexample Figure 3, the valve-piece a of the cylinder A screwed into it asupporting piece B perforated at d, for the passage of gas to and has vother convenient'way. The said tubularpiece C is shewn as being heldbetween cupped, or flanged, discs, 6 6*, these, and the tubular-piece Cbeing held in place by a screw-nut 6 If the tubular piece C be replacedby loose fibrous absorbent material it can be surrounded by aperforated, or,

reticulated, tube, but this is not necessary when the tubular piece isformed of filter-l paper, or other absorbent material which is coherent.I claim 1. Means for securing and impregnating a' gas to a predeterminedradio-active value comprising a capsule for the compressed gas, and aneck at one end of said capsule through which the capsule may be filledand emptied, in combination with removable carrier means arranged withinthe capsule, and radio-active material supported by said carrier.

2. Means for securing and impregnating a gas to a predeterminedradio-active value comprising a capsule in which the compressed gas isconfined, and radio-active material within the capsule serving toimpregnate the compressed gas with its emanations.

3. Means for securing and impregnating a gas to a predeterminedradio-active value comprising a sealed capsule for containing the gasunder heavy pressure, said capsule being adapted to charge liquid in anassociated container, and radio-active material within the capsuleserving to impregnate the compressed gas with its emanations.

4:. Means for securing and impregnating a gas to a predeterminedradio-active value comprising a capsule for the compressed gas, and aneck at one end of said capsule, in combination with a carrier adaptedfor self-support within the capsule extending into the capsule neck, andradio-active material mounted on the carrier.

5. A method of charging liquid which comprises introducing into ameasured quantity of the same a definite quantity of compressed gasimpregnated to a predetermined radio-active value with the emanations ofa radio-active substance.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this soecification.

JAMEb CRUIKSHANK BARR.

